Carestream, UBMD Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine begin clinical studies on new diagnostic imaging system at Erie County Medical Center

Submitted

Carestream and UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
are conducting clinical studies on a new three-dimensional medical imaging system at Erie County
Medical Center for use in treating orthopaedic conditions. These studies will
help guide Carestream's development of new cone beam CT (CBCT) systems with the
goal of providing orthopaedic solutions
for hospitals, clinics and sports medicine providers that use less radiation
than traditional CT; are compact and affordable; and could be used in a wide
range of facilities.

The CBCT
system used in this study is investigational and not available for commercial
sale.

With new digital CBCT technology, health care providers
can acquire otherwise unavailable weight-bearing (i.e. the patient is standing
upright) images of knees, legs and feet, which are of particular interest to
orthopaedic and sports medicine specialists. The two organizations plan to broaden their collaboration at a later date to
study the advantages of digital imaging technology in treating other extremity
conditions.

"Our collaboration with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports
Medicine is a prime example of how important customer research is in driving
successful innovation. We are able to test product and business concepts in a
real clinical environment, which is superior to theorizing or anticipating key
design elements," said Diana L. Nole, president of digital medical solutions for
Carestream. "These studies will help us evaluate the clinical and business
advantages of CBCT systems and help to answer questions including: Does it
improve patient outcomes? Does it improve the patient experience? Can we
further develop CBCT systems to deliver the image quality suitable for
assessing other conditions such as traumatic brain injuries?"

"We think the novel capabilities of the Carestream
CBCT scanner have broad application to the basic science and clinical practice
of orthopaedics and sports medicine. We are launching an initial clinical
study that may help surgeons more accurately and objectively diagnose the
degree of instability of the patella (knee cap)," said Dr. John Marzo, a
physician with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, associate professor of
clinical orthopaedics, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University
at Buffalo, and former medical director for the Buffalo Bills.

"A second collaborative project will validate the
ability of the CBCT scanner to measure contact area inside the knee joint,
which will be valuable in a host of clinical situations. We have several other
projects in various stages of development to be performed over the next two to
three years that establish a mutually beneficial relationship with Carestream
Health," Marzo added.

Carestream is committed to
developing orthopaedic solutions for use by hospitals, clinics and sports
medicine providers. For example, a Carestream CBCT system could be used in the
stadium or locker room to enable timely evaluation of players to help determine
whether they should return to a game or practice session, or be referred for
further medical treatment.

As part of this development
effort, Carestream researchers continue to gain valuable insight from working
with the Buffalo Bills to better
understand the use of advanced
medical imaging technology in early detection and monitoring of player
injuries, as football has the
highest number of knee and ankle injuries. Market studies cite an expected
increase in demand over the next 20 years for orthopaedic and sports medicine
care given higher patient longevity and active lifestyles of "weekend warriors"
and recreational enthusiasts.